Wrocław Christmas Market: One of Europe’s Most Underrated?

The Wrocław Christmas Market is regarded as one of the best Christmas markets to visit in Poland, thanks to its massive size, festive atmosphere, and stunning old town setting. Held in Wrocław’s historic Market Square, this traditional Polish Christmas market attracts visitors from across Europe with its charming stalls and picturesque setting.

We visited Wrocław on a weekend trip that was part of a larger German Christmas market trip. We drove from Berlin, spent a night in Wrocław and visited the Christmas market, before seeing more of the old town the next day.

We’ve spent the past four winters visiting Christmas markets across the U.K., Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and now Poland, and the Wrocław Christmas Market is one of our all-time favorites.

You can visit on a day trip from Kraków, Poznań, or Berlin, although we recommend spending at least a night here in Wrocław. From the beautiful Christmas market to the historic old-town, Wrocław makes for a great winter weekend getaway.

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Wrocław Christmas Market (Jarmark bożonarodzeniowy)

Open: November 21, 2025 through January 7, 2026
Hours: 10 am to 9 pm daily; 1 pm to 9 pm December 26; Closed December 24 & 25 and January 1
Location: Wrocławski Rynek (Market Square)
Cost: Free

The Wrocław Christmas Market is one of Poland’s best Christmas markets to visit. Seated in Wrocławski Rynek, or Wrocław’s Market Square, this large market fills the heart of the old town with a wonderful collection of wooden chalets, shopping stalls, a carousel, and a towering Christmas tree. All of this is framed by colorful Gothic-style buildings that add a storybook charm to Wrocław’s Christmas Market.

There are over 200 stalls that sell everything from hot mulled wine to grilled kielbasa, sweet treats, and handmade crafts and souvenirs. You could easily spend a few hours eating, drinking, and shopping your way through the market and taking in the holiday cheer.

Look out for gnomes! Wrocław is dotted with over 1000 tiny statues that offer a slice of humor and charm to this historic city. There are a handful that lie within the Wrocław Christmas Market. Keep your eyes peeled for these little guys!

The market is centrally located in Wrocław’s Market Square but extends out into neighboring streets and a smaller square. It’s easy to think of the Wrocław Christmas market as four regions:

The Market Square (Wrocławski Rynek)
Salt Square (Plac Solny)
Oławska Street
Świdnicka Street

All four regions are connected, meaning you can walk through all of them without ever leaving the market. The largest and most central region is the Market Square, which is also the heart of Wrocław’s old town.

Market Square (Rynek)

The Market Square, also referred to as the Rynek, is the main attraction. This historic square is surrounded by beautiful Gothic-style buildings that provide the perfect backdrop to one of Poland’s best Christmas markets. One of the more notable buildings is the Ratusz, or Wrocław Old Town Hall, built from the 13th to 16th centuries.

In the Rynek you’ll find 100+ stalls selling a wide range of beverages, food, handmade crafts, and much more. Sip on grzaniec (hot mulled wine) or hot chocolate from a boot-shaped mug, feast on kielbasa sandwiches, or snack on an assortment of roasted nuts and sweet treats. Since this is such a large market, there’s plenty of variety in what you can get.

The main square is also flanked with plenty of great restaurants that get good reviews, such as Pierogarnia Rynek 26 and Whiskey in the Jar, in case you aren’t a fan of traditional Christmas market food.

It’s hard to miss the giant Christmas tree that stands in the Rynek. At 25 meters tall, this multi-story Christmas tree is another popular landmark within the market. Bathed in the light of thousands of small LED bulbs, it’s truly impressive to see the tree lit up at night.

There is a special ceremony for the lighting of Wrocław’s Rynek Christmas tree. Held annually on December 6th, this night marks the start of Wrocław’s Christmas festivities. From then on, the tree remains lit until the end of the Christmas market’s runtime in early January.

Oławska Street and Świdnicka Street

The Christmas market extends from the Market Square onto two connected streets: Oławska Street and Świdnicka Street. Both of these streets are similar in the types of stalls and decorations. You’ll find a large variety of shops selling handmade goods, scarfs, hats, and plenty of potential souvenirs or holiday gifts for friends and family. There are also a few stalls selling sweets for you to taste.

Although not nearly as impressive as Market Square, we still recommend walking these streets since you’ll be here anyway. Chances are, you’ll either enter or exit the Christmas market along either Oławska Street or Świdnicka Street.

Oławska Street

Świdnicka Street

Salt Square (Plac Solny)

The Salt Square is centered around games and entertainment and is a great spot for families. This area of the Christmas market has a “carnival” feel to it.

You’ll find a multi-story funhouse, a carousel, and a number of claw machine games lining one end of the market. It’s a big shift from the traditional feel of Market Square, but one that brings a nice variety, especially for families with young kids.

That’s not to say that the Christmas market within Salt Square lacks the traditional amenities of a Christmas market. Here you’ll still find wooden stalls that sell grzaniec, kielbasa, and more. It’s a smaller square than Market Square but definitely worth a visit. With its smaller size, it’s also less hectic and a bit quieter than Market Square while still offering many of the same amenities.

Things to Eat at the Wrocław Christmas Market

Here are a few foods and beverages to try at the Wrocław Christmas Market:

Kielbasa
Pierogi (Polish dumplings filled with savory or sweet ingredients)
Grzaniec (hot mulled wine)
Hot chocolate
Waffles
Crȇpes
Churros

Where to Get the Best View of the Wrocław Christmas Market

There are two medieval churches with tall towers that overlook Wrocław’s Christmas market and the old town. Both are a block away from Market Square and lie on opposite sides. For a birds-eye view of Wrocław’s Christmas market, we recommend climbing up the tower of either the Basilica of St. Elizabeth or the Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene (or see it from both!).

The Basilica of St. Elizabeth is a 14th-century Gothic church that sits to the west of Market Square. It’s a long, breath-taking stair climb to the top of the observation tower, but from here you get the highest view of Wrocław’s old town. We favored the view up here just slightly more than at the Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene since you’re a bit higher with a better vantage point.

The view from the Basilica of St. Elizabeth

Alternatively, climb the tower of the Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene and look out over Wrocław’s old town from the Bridge of Penitents. This short bridge connects the two towers of the cathedral and offers another great vantage point over Wrocław’s Christmas market. However, the bridge can get very crowded as this is a popular thing to do in Wrocław. We made it up here near sunset and had to squeeze past other visitors for an opening along this narrow bridge.

You can also get great views of the Wrocław Christmas Market from the market itself. There are a few second-story platforms built above the wooden stalls that offer slightly elevated views. You can also get amazing photos of the colorful market on the outer edges of the square, with the beautiful old town buildings as a backdrop. The market is especially scenic at night when everything is lit up.

The view from one of the second-story buildings

How are the Crowds at the Wrocław Christmas Market?

Since the Wrocław Christmas Market is one of the most popular Christmas markets in Poland, expect a crowded market. We heard it can get very crowded over weekends (think of being packed in like sardines), especially on Friday, Saturday, and even Sunday night. However, with some smart planning you can avoid most of the crowds.

We visited Wrocław on a Monday and Tuesday in 2025. Walking through the markets midday, there were hardly any visitors, especially in the smaller Salt Square. The main Rynek was still pretty busy on Monday night, but nowhere near being packed shoulder-to-shoulder with other people.

For the best experience, visit during a week night or earlier in the evening on the weekends. The sun sets around 4:00pm in December in Wrocław, so you can still see the market lit up before the market gets too crowded.

Wrocław Christmas Market in Photos

Here are a few more photos of the Wrocław Christmas market, starting with a few daytime photos.

Is the Wrocław Christmas Market Worth It?

Absolutely! We have been to a lot of Christmas markets throughout Europe and this is one of our favorites.

The Wrocław market is very much like those in Germany, which is a good thing, since the German Christmas markets are amazing. In most towns, the Christmas market stalls are decorated with elaborate décor, every market has something that makes it unique (whether it is the setting or what is for sale in the stalls), and the handmade crafts and local foods are fun to browse and eat.

Wrocław’s market sits on colorful, picture-perfect square. The stalls are festively decorated, there’s lots of foods to try and hot drinks to sample, and, in our experience, this market was less crowded than others we visited.

If a 24 to 48 hour visit to Wrocław works in your schedule, it’s well worth to include in your itinerary. It just may be one of your favorites, too.

Where to Stay in Wrocław

We stayed at AC Hotel Wrocław and loved it. This hotel has a great location for visiting the Christmas market and exploring the historic area of Wrocław, only a 5-minute walk from Market Square. This Marriott property was also very clean and comfortable. We would stay here again on future visits.

Aparthotel New Lux and Wrocław Hotel are two highly rated upscale hotels a short walk from the Christmas market.

Mid-range hotels within walking distance of the Christmas market that get good reviews include PURO Wrocław Stare Miasto and the Europeum Hotel.

About Our Visits to the European Christmas Markets

Our visit to Wrocław was during our second trip to Poland and our fourth trip to tour the European Christmas markets.

In December 2025, we started with the Christmas markets in Berlin, then traveled to Wrocław, Poland, followed by other towns and cities across northern Germany, including Dresden, Erfurt, Cologne, Traben-Trarbach, Trier, Heidelberg, and Frankfurt. Dresden is a must-see, Wrocław was amazing, and we also really liked Erfurt, Traben-Trarbach, and Cologne.

In December 2024, Julie and Kara toured the Christmas markets in southern Germany and France. They were amazing! And on prior trips to Europe in December, we visited London, Prague, and Vienna.

The German Christmas markets our our favorites, but Wrocław is right up there (a beautiful setting, lots of market stalls selling high quality food and drinks, and festive decorations).

If visiting the Christmas markets in Europe is on your to do list, you can see all of our Christmas market guides in the link below ↓

Explore the Europe Christmas Markets

If you have any questions about visiting the Wrocław Christmas market, let us know in the comment section below.

Plan Your Trip to Europe

Below are our guides on more places to visit in Poland plus our favorite Christmas markets in Europe.

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How to visit the Christmas market in Wroclaw, Poland. Photos, dates, helpful tips, and how to include it on a trip to other European Christmas markets.